Board

The CEFI team comprises a group of highly experienced and dedicated financial experts who are passionate about the growth of financial inclusion in Papua New Guinea. CEFI also reports to a Board of Directors, which includes an elite field of key stakeholders representing government, industry and the Bank of Papua New Guinea.

Mr. Benny Popoitai is a career Central Banker at the Bank of Papua New Guinea, of which he served fifteen years as Deputy Governor.

He was a Member of the Executive Committee of the South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) Training Institute based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia since 2006. A position he held until his term as Deputy Governor expired in 2016. This Executive Committee provided advice to the Board of SEACEN on all matters, including programmed content for strategic changes.

Prior to his appointment as Acting Governor of Bank of Papua New Guinea in December 2021, Mr Popoitai was the Director of Financial Analysis and Supervision Unit, (or FASU for short) within the Bank of PNG, he led the project team responsible for the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing reforms at Bank of PNG and was instrumental in negotiating for the Financial Intelligence Unit to be transferred from the Royal PNG Constabulary to Bank of PNG to enhance PNG’s need to comply with the Financial Action Task Force standards (or international standards), in order to bring PNG out of the Grey List. FASU is PNG’s Financial Intelligence Unit.

Mr Popoitai has been involved in Financial Inclusion as the Chairman of the Microfinance Expansion Project and subsequently the Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion.

He has passion for the advancement in digital solutions and subsequently in banking to bank the unbanked. In that PNG has now developed a Regulatory Sandbox and is innovation establishing the Inclusive Green Finance Sector in PNG.

In 2001, Mr Popoitai was awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to banking and finance.

Michael Tumbo Kumung is the Deputy Secretary of the Department of National Planning & Monitoring with 20 years’ experience in Public Service. Michael have worked with the Papua New Guinea Internal Revenue Commission and Department of Finance dealing with Development Strategic Planning, Public Policy Formulation, Economic Modelling and Economic Development Analysis and Reporting. He has represented the Department of National Planning as alternate board member and director on PNG Gaming Control Board and National Research Institute board. Michael holds a Master of International Economics & Finance, University of Queensland, Australia

Mr Garima Tongia is the Executive Director of CEFI. He is an economist with 27 years of professional experience in the PNG Banking and finance industry. He has held senior management positions with the National Development Bank (NDB), was a pioneer in the creation of Wau Micro Bank (now Nationwide Micro Bank trading as MiBank) and has worked as a Senior Analyst with the Bank of Papua New Guinea. He has been at the forefront of Microfinance and financial inclusion development in the country. Mr Garima has international banking exposure and an in-depth knowledge of the sector.

Saliya J Ranasinghe has more than 25 years’ experience in the microfinance industry, including roles as Finance Manager at Ceylon Oxygen and Chief Executive Officer of SEEDS Sri Lanka. Since 2002, he has been a consultant and Chief Technical Advisor for inclusive finance/microfinance projects with renowned organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, IFC and UN Capital Development Fund in countries across Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Saliya has also conducted postgraduate studies with England’s Canfield School of Technology and has an MBA from the University of Lincoln, England. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants UK and Fellow Member of the Society of Cost Management Accounts Sri Lanka.

Paulus Laveil is currently Managing Director and Board Secretary of the PNG Federation of Savings and Loans Society Ltd. He has more than 15 years’ experience with the PNG National Development Bank as an Executive Manager for Lending, Policy and Corporate Services. He is a member of the Microfinance Expansion Project Steering Committee and is on the CEFI Board representing the Savings and Loans Societies in PNG. He holds an MBA from the University of New England, Australia.

Mark is a highly experienced international banker having previously held senior roles with HSBC in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India and Bahrain, and ANZ in Australia. He has been ANZ PNG Managing Director since July 2012, which at that time also included responsibility for the Bank’s operations in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Prior to this, he had overall responsibility for ANZ’s Corporate Banking activities in Queensland, covering private and public companies across a range of sectors. Mark brings with him a deep experience across a wide range of banking activities including Corporate and Institutional Banking, Commercial / SME, and Retail Banking, as well as key product lines including International Trade Services, Payments and Cash Management, and Operations.

Dr Sweta Jain Sud has had more than 20 years’ experience of innovation and management in the areas of education, enterprises resources planning, strategic project planning and stakeholder management. Currently the Dean and Academic Director of PNG Institute of Banking and Business, Sweta is on the Board of CEFI representing the financial training institutions. She has also been on the Board of the Small Business Development Corporation, a committee member of the Small to Medium Enterprise policy and Master plan for PNG Government and one of the founding member of the Business Coalition for women and an executive committee member of PNG India Business Council. She is also a Faculty for MBA program with Chifley Business School, Torrens University Australia. Sweta hold a Bachelors in Engineering and three Post Graduate Degrees in Business Administration, Project Management and Information systems.

Roddie Wada has more than 15 years’ experience in the public sector, mostly with the PNG Department of Treasury in the area of micro-economic policy. Currently the First Assistant Secretary of the Markets Policy Division, she deals with consumer and competition policy, private sector development and other micro/structural reform initiatives. Roddie is on the CEFI Board representing the Department of Treasury, and has also represented the Department on the Boards of CIC, Post PNG, Air Niugini and the Nationwide Microbank. She holds a Masters in Applied Commerce from Melbourne University, Australia.

Tony is the CEO of MiBank in Papua New Guinea. He is also a Director and Honorary Fellow of the PNG Institute of Banking & Business Management, and is an Executive Member of the Microfinance Pasifika Network. A strong advocate for financial inclusion, Tony initiated the first Bank- led deployment of a mobile wallet in the South Pacific, with ‘MiCash’. Tony holds a MBA from Torrens University and a Master of Leadership in Development Finance from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

Benny Popoitai

MICHAEL TUMBO KUMUNG

GARIMA TONGIA

SALIYA RANASINGHE

PAULUS LAVEIL

Mark Baker

DR SWETA JAIN SUD

RODDIE WADA

TONY WESTAWAY

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